Disappointed Verstappen draws painful conclusion about new Red Bull
Max Verstappen, the reigning Formula 1 world champion, has made a candid admission about his team’s prospects for the upcoming Australian Grand Prix. Despite his impressive record in season-openers, having won the last two events in Bahrain, Verstappen believes that his Red Bull RB21 will not be competitive enough to fight for victory in Melbourne.
The Dutch driver’s assessment is based on the team’s less-than-promising preseason test, where they struggled to match the pace of their rivals. McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes all appeared to have an edge over Red Bull, with even the resurgent Williams team closing in on the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Verstappen, who is set to begin his fourth title defense, acknowledged that there is still work to be done to get the RB21 up to speed. “I think McLaren is the favorite if you look at the lap times, and for us, not everything went completely smoothly,” he said during a Viaplay event.
However, Verstappen remains optimistic that Red Bull can make improvements to the car within a few races. He revealed that the team has been working tirelessly to identify areas for improvement, including spending time in the simulator to fine-tune the car’s setup.
“I don’t think we can compete for victory in Melbourne, but hopefully, we will be able to make improvements within a few races,” Verstappen added. The Dutch driver also touched on the upgrades made to the RB21 over the winter, admitting that the team had expected a more significant leap forward.
“It’s never good enough, of course, but I think we expected a tiny bit more from it ourselves,” Verstappen said. “After the test, you do have time to go through the data and come to certain conclusions, but as I said, I think we do need to improve some things.”
Verstappen’s comments offer a candid insight into the challenges facing Red Bull as they bid to defend their constructors’ championship title. While the team may not be in contention for victory in Melbourne, they are confident that they can make progress and close the gap to their rivals in the coming races.
